Water Rules!

I could have been a swim coach.
No really. I can still hear my swim coach yell at me. Not because I was in trouble but she just yelled and didn't exactly "coddle" her team.. I can just her her scream KICK HARDER! Do another 300 yards ! BLAH BLAH BLAH. She had a certain way of yelling. That you could even hear UNDER the water. ( I wonder what Sue is doing now. ... I wonder what Yolanda is doing now... can they even talk anymore after all that yelling?) Maybe they didn't yell as loud as I remember... it might have been the echo of the pool?.
Doesn't matter, my POINT is that I have INSISTED the kids learn to swim here.
Jameson was figuring it out on his own last summer in IN. But has it pretty down pat here to the point I'm teaching him the other strokes and getting ornery about when he should breathe and how to make it so his hands don't slap the water. ( yeah,yeah I know I'm no professional..but I since I can still hear it all in my head, might as well pass it down.)
I'm actually really impressed with him. Once he puts his mind on learning how to do something, he does it.. and mostly on his own. He has that gift. The problem is once he's got the bare basics down he thinks he's good and there is nothing else to learn, He also HATES listening to me. I can give suggestions on what he can do to improve.. but he'll argue with me.. Paul can come say the same thing and he'll do it.. And he can do it the first time.
This irritates the crap out of me.. especially one day in the pool trying to convince him to pull his head out of the water with out stopping the flow of his stroke..He would just argue.
So after a long chat ( FULL of compliments may I add.) He agreed he would let me teach him for 45 min each day. If he didn't argue he got his sticker.. If he gets 50 stickers he gets a prize for his really hard work.
Can I just tell you how much more fun swim time is with him!! And can I also un- biasedly say that he is a natural swimmer in the pool.He is really good!! I have taught him Freestyle.. Breaststroke... Back, And fly.. We have done starts and flip turns... Most things he can do with being shown only once. I think I'm going to encourage him to join the swim team. I think he'd do really really well.

oh yeah, my point on the swim coach.. I'm sure my neighbors wonder if I use a whip with my orders. I find myself screaming and walking along the pool yelling.." KICK!!! I want to see those feet make splashes!!! 5 more times !!!GO!!!" ( All in that blessed screechy nag that I hated so much of course.)
I also find myself trying to show the kids what your legs or arms what they should be doing while on the side of the pool.. I too remember our coaches doing this and finding it hilarious. They looked ridiculous.( As do I.)
Whatever, tho since it seems to be working.


Ethan has come leaps and bounds from even last year where the pool was just too big for him to feel comfortable in.. He would not put his face in the water. This year he would. And was determined to learn to swim as well. He has worked SO hard to be graduated to the deep end of the pool. I feel like this pool has actually really helped him in a lot in the areas that he struggles in. He is pretty fear less now. And while we still have a bit of work to do to get him to become a stronger swimmer. He has passed the test to be able to go swim in the deep end.( width of the shallow end. 20x Cannot put their foot down at all.) And we continue to work with kick boards, back floats and breathing and swimming in a fluid motion. He loves the water and is more then wiling to do as I ask him to do. He likes working for a sticker too.
Zoey- At the beginning she wouldn't get off the stairs, then she wouldn't get her face wet. She wanted to hang on to me the entire time. Now she is on the brink of swimming herself..She can do it.. But insist on putting her foot down when she needs a breath of air. She is a great lil kicker. And can almost beat Ethan ( Which ticks Ethan off.) She is the least trusting of my kids when it comes to doing things in the water. She will do the back float but will insist on holding on to me. ( like I'm going to let her go under! ...Okay I probably would.. so I guess it's a valid fear.) She needs a bit more coaching and encouragement to try new things.. She catches on quick, simply because she hates to be left behind. I found that she is one that NEEDS to feel in control of the situation at all times. So we take it at her pace with just a few gentle prods from me accompanied with Lavish praise. What I found hilarious is at the begining she wouldn't go under the water, but when Jameson DOVE ( yes dove, first time off the diving board and he dove head first!) in the water, she got excited and wanted to do it too, and started heading for the diving board! Scared to get her face wet, but wants to jump off the diving board?! hmmm....

But in truth I'm incredibly proud of all three of them and what they've managed to accomplish so far. ( Maybe a screaming nagging swim instructor mom is the magic ingredient!)
Not to mention my fear of one of them falling in the pool and drowning has been lessened since I know everyone one of them can swim to safety if necessary. Which is the main reason for my militant swimming methods. I just can't have people drowning in the pool, the end!

I was going to put them in lessons till I found out how much they were per child for only so many days. I couldn't really afford those ridiculous fees.( For three kids... HOLY CRAP!) And now I'm glad I didn't do it. I try to mix a little fun in with lessons.. Or I just tell them after they do as I ask for 45 min.. the rest of the time is theirs for fun. They all seem to be fine with it and become quite proud of the new thing they learned that day. And I've really enjoyed working&playing with them.

I'll probably start working with Cambria as soon as I can show her how to hold her breath. I know there is a baby survival water class that you can start teaching your infant as young as six mo. I might actually look into this. If you've heard anything about this let me know, I'd love to hear what other people think of that.

Well time to warm up the vocal chords once more so I can ensure they can hear me from Underneath the Water!
...La! La! La! LA!......